Over at Ranker.com we build an app that lets you list anything, listing the universe you might say. We have a few different ways for you to list, just like in gaming: we have solo lists, votable ‘opinion’ lists, multiplayer crowd-sourced lists and open free-for-all lists. Here I’m going to bring you a few of my own lists from the different categories.

Solo list where you can get opinionated

Here I’ve listed what I think are the top ten all time Star Wars games, feel free to vote me wrong!
The Top 10 Best Star Wars Video Games Of All Time

Multiplayer crowd-sourced list where you can get involved

This one is split into two pieces. First is the group list, where everyone’s lists are aggregated to show the crowds overall view. Here you can add your lists to help build the crowd view.
The Most Addictive Video Games of All Time

Then there’s my personal opinion about those most addictive lists.
The Most Addictive Video Games of All Time – by Yaypaul

Finally, Open World PVP lists

With open lists anyone can add items, so what I’ve done is start a special list just for this post. What you need to do is head to the list and add one (only one!) game which you consider the best video game of all time. With any luck the list will grow from everyone’s input. I’ll also turn on the voting options so if your game is already on the list you can vote for it and help it move up the rankings.
The Best Video Game Of All Time | Open List

Bonus list

Rate those polygons!
The Hottest Video Game Vixens Of All Time

Some friends recommended I take a look at Society6 because they produce some quality large size art prints. But I chose their shop because they also produce iPhone, iPad and laptop skins. On top of the prints and skins they also produce T-Shirts, triple win.

I spent the weekend putting together some custom views of my Deadly Furry Cute work which I hope will look nice on your walls, phones and computers. I’ve already placed some orders for friends and family, I’ll keep you posted on the quality, but all signs point towards great items.

The below print, titled ‘Class Photo’, was selected by the Society6 team to feature in their store front. Many thanks to them for the nod and the added exposure to potential customers.

I’m going to be working on some new exclusive illustrations for the shop over the next few months. Until then, here are some samples from the store. Head over and view the whole shop at Society6.

Since I started working over at Ranker.com I’ve enticed a lot of friends into making lists, and it’s starting to payoff. I was stuck for some geek birthday ideas and reached out for some help, in return I received a bunch of lists with great ideas. Some of the lists venture into the down-right nerdy, but good gifts just sometimes are! We’ll start in my favorite place…

15 Star Wars gifts your nerd will love

This list has everything you need for your fellow Star Wars geek. The list has the obvious Lightsabers as its number 1, but has some nice other additions, I definitely have to get one of those RC Millennium Falcons!  Update: it looks like voting has been turned on so you can check the items if you agree with the addition.

The Sexiest Female Super Hero Statues

Everyone has that friend who collects all the sexy status, here’s a list of gifts just for them! Personally I’m a Zoid/Mecha collector, but I did throw my votes on the items. It’s a travesty Rogue isn’t number 1! That Barbra Gordon addition is also a little weird…

The Greatest Geek Gifts

If you need general gift geekery this list has some potential. I’m particularly interested in the solar power conversion kits. Arkham Horror is also an interesting addition, I own the game and would recommend it, triple read those crazy rules though!

I’ve merged two core functions into one object with this update, Title Hide and Input Clear are now one. I find I use them in similar situations so it made sense to bring them together in this way. I’ve also updated the jQuery to work better with release 1.6.1.  Essentially nothing has changed with the functions apart from the syntax update. But what this change does facilitate is a quick and easy method to avoid conflicts. If you already have a ‘core’ object in your app, simply change any instances of ‘core’ to your object name and the function calls remain unchanged and working.

There are two ways for you to download the code

1. Copy and paste the code listed below.
2. Download a zip containing the source and production files.

/* http://www.designergamergeek.com/jquery-projects/
 Version: 1.1 - 2011-05-31
 License: none (public domain)
*/

// Core object
var core = {
 storeTitle : "",
 checkVal : ""
}

//Title Hide
$('.titleHide').live('hover', function(e) {

 //Store the title for later
 core.storeTitle = $(this).attr('title');

 //Clear title
 $(this).attr('title', '');

}, function(e) {

 $(this).attr('title', core.storeTitle);

});

//Multi Purpose Input Clear
$(document).delegate('.input','focus',function(e){

 //Get current (default if first time) value of input
 core.checkVal = $(this).val();
 core.storeTitle = $(this).attr('title');

 //If the inputs title is empty, fill it with the default value
 if (core.storeTitle == '' || core.storeTitle == null || core.storeTitle == undefined){
 $(this).attr('title', core.checkVal);
 }

 //Create user input value
 core.storeTitle = $(this).attr('title');

 //If default value, clear it
 if(core.checkVal == core.storeTitle){
 $(this).val('');
 }

}).delegate('.input','blur', function(e){

 //Load variables
 core.checkVal = $(this).val();
 core.storeTitle = $(this).attr('title');

 //If no user entry, fill with default title
 if(core.checkVal == ''){
 $(this).val(core.storeTitle);
 }

});

I’ve been trying to find some more useful functions to add to the core object, but I’m being careful to only add functions that have high usage. The last thing I want to unnecessarily bloat the code. I do plan to post some other bits and pieces though so I’ll keep you posted.

The inspiration for todays ships comes from our own natural world of insects. Galactic Civilization II already has an insectoid species of course, that of the futuristic Thalan, but that races ships always seemed a little too future and not enough insect for my tastes. What would ships of an alien insectoid race look like if they too evolved into space fairing beings? That was my goal.

The vessels of the Insectoid Nation are sleek and beetle like. Most contain wings, either swept back or forward, depending on function. The largest of the navies ships are designed as fighter carriers, with their insectoid bodies extending out to hold the vast array of smaller ships they house. I had some fun naming these models too.
As usual you’ll need Galactic Civilizations II 2.0 with the Twilight of the Arnor expansion to use these templates in your games.

Download the GalCivII Insectoid Nation Fleet now!

Combat ships

Dart Fighter

Hive Massive Carrier

Javelin Carrier

Seeker Scout

Super Dart Heavy Fighter

Swarm Transport

Wraith Cruiser

Wyvern Battleship

 

Support ships

Aphid Colony ship

Ant Constructor

Cockroach Mining Ship

Millipede Freighter

Sometime ago I uploaded a set of ship templates based on the Imperial Battle Fleet of the awesome tabletop game Battle Fleet Gothic. While searching through the other custom ships I’ve committed to templates I found a related sister set, that of the Space Marines. The ships of the Emperors elite troops are large foreboding vessels, floating cities with thick armour and large forward guns.

This is a smaller set, containing only one ship from each size class, but the larger sized vessels have a substantial amount of parts. As usual you’ll need Galactic Civilizations II 2.0 with the Twilight of the Arnor expansion to use these templates in your games.

Download the GalGivII Space Marine Battle Fleet now!

Combat ships

Thunder Hawk Gunship

Nova Class Frigate

Hunter Destroyer

Strike Cruiser

Battle Barge Super Capital

Granted, neither items of jQuery released this week are difficult for other web developers to produce. I’m releasing them purely as a window into my development cycle and how I like to make things modular, reusable and efficient. If anyone else finds the code useful, bonus points.

Everyone knows titles should be used liberally, they help the user and search engines alike. This particular piece I find useful for those times when having a title popup interrupts the user, impacts animation or stops interaction with surrounding items. I’m sure there are other uses also.

How it works

As you’ll see from the code view below, this one’s not very complex. When an item with the .titleHide class is hovered I store it’s original value in the Rel attribute, then clear the title. When the user rolls off the item I use that Rel attribute to restore the original title, failure to do so would leave you no access via the DOM to that title until page refresh.

To enable this script simply add a class of .titleHide to which ever item needs it’s title hidden. This works with links, image replacement, buttons and any other item with a title.

See an example of the code in action

You can download the code in a number of ways

1. Copy and Paste the code listed below.
2. Download a zip file containing the source and production ready files.

$(document).ready(function(){

	//Multi-Purpose Title Hide
	$(".titleHide").hover(function() {
		//Store the title for later
		var store = $(this).attr("title");
		$(this).attr("rel", store);
		//Clear title
		$(this).attr({title: ""});
	}, function() {
		//Restore title
		var restore = $(this).attr("rel");
		$(this).attr("title", restore);
		//Clear Rel attribute
		$(this).attr({rel: ""});
	});

});

How it works

The code view and comments below explain exactly what’s going on at each step, but here’s how the code works; the code takes the original value of your input item stores it as the Title attribute, then clears the original value allowing for clean user input. Storing the original value in this way allows a user to hover the input item and still see what should be entered. The code then waits for the user to navigate away from the current item and does one of two things. 1) If there has been user input the original value is kept as the Title attribute for reference and nothing else happens, allowing correct values to be submitted. 2) If there has been no user input or the user clears then navigates away from the item, the Title attribute is taken and reapplied as the value, in essence resetting it’s state.

Adding the function to your Input tags is super easy too. Simply add a .input class to each item you wish to clear. This works for Text, Password and Textareas.

View an example of the jQuery Input Clear in action

There is two ways for you to download the code

1. Copy and paste the code listed below.
2. Download a zip containing the source and production files.

$(document).ready(function(){

	//Multi Purpose Input Clear
	$(".input").click(function(){
		//Get current (default if first time) value of input
		var check = $(this).val();
		//If the inputs title is empty, fill it with the default value
		if ($(this).attr("title") == ""){
			$(this).attr("title", check);
		}
		//Create user input value
		var inputVal = $(this).attr("title");
		//If default value, clear it
		if(check == inputVal){
			$(this).val("");
		}
	}).blur(function(){
		//Load variables
		var check = $(this).val();
		var inputVal = $(this).attr("title");
		//If no user entry, fill with default title
		if(check == ""){
			$(this).val(inputVal);
		}
	});

});

Continuing the pyramid theme seemed appropriate, but sloped sides doesn’t really work for you in Sim City does it. In this map we’ll use something similar, a Mesopotamian Ziggurat. I’ve tried to make things interesting buy splitting the Ziggurat down it’s center between two large city zones. But that’s not all.

Ancient Ziggurat rarely came alone, each was part of a larger temple complex. I’ve included a number of other smaller structures, as well as some raised ritual pathways  and intricate water works.

You may also notice a similarity to an earlier anime style map I created, I was going for the same final result; a large metropolis sprawling above a heavily manicured foundation.

Download the Ziggurat region

I’ve not had any free time to actually play this map yet so there wont be an update to the Sim City 4 regions section for a while I suspect, but I definitely am going to play it. Feel free to stop by the comments and link to your region if you download and play the map. I’d especially like to compare city/region layout ideas.

Rather than an open park with some key theming –like last time, I’ve instead chosen to lay down some paths and basic transportation rides. You, as manager, are charged with renovating this old rundown temple into a full blown theme park.

The central feature of the custom map –as the name suggests– is a lost temple. I’ve built an Egyptian style pyramid with an enticing doorway for you to play with. Will you create stairs down into an underground complex, use it for a huge coaster dropping down into the depths or for some other purpose?

Leading up to the temple is a reflecting pool inset with ruined columns. Surrounding the temple and pool is a complex of stepped earth works for you to run coasters down around and through. Set high on the back wall is a huge waterfall to wow your visitors with. All in all I hope you’ll enjoy the possibilities presented at the Lost Temple.

Download the Lost Temple

Items in place

As I mentioned above I’ve laid down two small transportation rides. One is a small boat ride which runs from one side of the park to the other and the other a monorail which runs a short distance in shuttle shuttle mode.

The entrance to the park is also filled with the basic amenities you’ll need to help get your park off the ground, including those jumping fountains we all love to much.

I’ve not had time to actually play this park yet, the build phase has taken most of the free time I could muster. If you download and play the park I’d love to see your creations, be sure to comment or email with a link to some highlights!

More park previews